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Top ten films of 2013… er, and some others

Looking back, it’s not been a bad year for cinema. Perhaps not vintage, but we’ve had some crackers over the last twelve months. Here are my whittled down favourites, followed by a list of those I’m sure I’d like a lot but have yet to see. So… two lists, in a weird way.

Star Trek Into DarknessIt’s cumberbitches versus pine nuts in JJ Abrams’ second outing as director on this franchise. Fine job he did too, upping the ante for Kirk and co in a most satisfying way; with a new twist on Kahn, something that arguably angered die-hard trekkies, but kept the Enterprise on course for the rest of us.

Captain PhillipsDirector Paul Greengrass played to his strengths in this smart and highly tense retelling of a real life tale of Somali pirates capturing a cargo ship on the high seas. And Tom Hanks gives one of the performances of the year, and indeed perhaps his career.

RushEpic return to form for director Ron Howard in this thrilling look at the rivalry between two F1 legends: James Hunt (Chris Hemsworth) and Niki Lauda (Daniel Bruhl), the latter giving a phenomenal performance as a man fighting to retain his title following a horrific injury.

The World’s EndPegg, Frost and Wright conclude the cornetto trilogy with their most ambitious tale yet; featuring pubs, pints, blue aliens and a sexy marmalade sandwich. A satisfying conclusion for the trio and it’ll be interesting to see what they do next.

Cloud AtlasDavid Mitchell’s book is unfilmable… or was until the pair behind The Matrix – the Wachowski siblings – got their hands on it. What resulted was a breathtaking set of intertwining stories and storytelling and imagination at its finest.

Django UnchainedThe first Tarantino tale to be told in a linear fashion (i.e. no chapter element) tackled some big themes and finally showed everyone his take on a western – and what a take it was too. Epic, explosive and totally Tarantino.

The Place Beyond The PinesDerek Cianfrance and Ryan Gosling are a bit of a match made in heaven. First Blue Valentine and now this; a series of three stories examining how the actions of fathers affect their sons. It’s a poignant and tender sort of tale, with strong performances from Ryan Gosling, Bradley Cooper and a young Dane DeHaan.

Zero Dark ThirtyReleased almost a year ago in January 2013 for us UK types; but still worthy of inclusion as it’s a tense affair, capturing Bin Laden and all that – one which, following the award laden The Hurt Locker, director Kathryn Bigelow handled like a master at work.

The Hobbit: The Desolation of SmaugAnother year, another trip to Middle Earth eh? Well, in this case, that’s largely a good thing, as Peter Jackson’s trilogy gets into full swing in this second outing with Bilbo, dwarves, Bard the Bowman and an almighty dragon sporting a fierce temper.

The Hunger Games: Catching FireThe difficult second album – or, in this case, the bleaker second album. Following the success of the first film the pressure was on this one to deliver. And it did, with a darker, more adult tone and another fine performance from Jennifer Lawrence.

MY ‘YET TO SEE’ FAVOURITES

Now You See Me– described as The Prestige for idiots by some critics and pure summer movie magic by others. Chances are it sits somewhere inbetween as a fun caper of a film.

Stoker – written by Prison Break’s Wentworth Miller and directed by South Korean director Park chan-wook, this psychological thriller landed well with critics and looks an intriguing and mysterious tale.

Mud – Jeff Nichols is fast marking himself out as a director to watch, first Take Shelter and now this coming-of-age tale; continuing the career revival of one Matthew Mcconaughey.

Trance– seems, in his tea breaks when planning the Olympic ceremony, Danny Boyle knocked this film together; which goes to show how the rest of us really need to put in more effort. Whilst it’s more style over substance, it’s some style.

Gravity – making the number one film of many critics’ lists, this immersive and thrilling film by Alfonso Quaron showed that, if there’s a more compelling use of 3D we’re yet to see it.

Kill Your Darlings – the evolution of Daniel Radcliffe post-Potter continues, in this interesting look at the birth of the beat generation. As well as Radcliffe, up-and-comer Dane DeHaan reportedly put in another fine performance.

Robot & Frank – a quirky tale about a jewel thief, Frank (Frank Langella), who’s past his prime so his son buys him a domestic robot. His mood lifts when he realises he can use the robot to steal again.

Blue is the Warmest Color– garnering a hugely positive response from critics, this film explored – over three hours no less – the relationship between two girls who fall in and out of love and everything in between.

Thor: The Dark World – Chris Hemsworth dusted off his red cape and hammer for another outing as the man from Asgard and, by all accounts, did a splendid job. Apparently, worldwide, this is the third-highest grossing film for Marvel studios.

Blue Jasmine – there really is no holding back Cate Blanchett at times, she’s easily one of the best actresses of our generation and really doesn’t get enough credit. Here she puts in arguably a career best performance in this film, which many have said marks a return to form for Woody Allen.

Philomena– a sweet and amusing tale of Philomena Lee’s (Judi Dench) 50-year search for her son Martin Sixsmith (Steve Coogan). Described as a profoundly affecting drama, this film was a hit with critics and audiences alike.

Kings of Summer – drawing comparisons with Son of Rambow (which I liked a lot), this film passed many people by, yet sounds like a wonderfully uplifting coming-of-age tale that should make your watch list, if you like this sort of thing.

Reading this back it’s rather shocking; there’s loads I’ve not seen. At least it gives me things to see over the next month or so. Still… the ones I did see were all a joy to experience. And some were a genuine surprise; as I went in with no expectations (often a good tactic).

What made your top ten of the year? And what’s still on your list to see?